The Passing Of A Legend

Hi all. Aaron here and back with a post in between blowing my nose and taking meds. Being sick stinks.

Before I start, I would like to say that I am in no way a Penn State fan (even though just about everyone in my family is) and I have always been indifferent to the aurora surrounding Joe Paterno. This is an outsider's look looking in, but be that as it may, I've had a little time recently to reflect on the passing of the Penn State icon, the legend, JoePa, Joe Paterno.

First a little back story, I was raised in a Penn State family. My dad and grandfather were season ticket holders and I've had my fair share of Penn State home games to attend. In the early years (before I really knew what football was all about), I saw Penn State games as an event that I would sweat in the sun or freeze in below 30 degree weather. Big deal... big gathering of rabid people to see some game and oh, there's a band. Then as time progressed I became a big football fan and much to my parents dismay, a Notre Dame, followed by, and still, a Michigan fan. I came to know of the players, the schools and when one talks college football, Joe Paterno.

I've seen the record setting wins, him stroll the sidelines, barking at assistant coaches, the fans dressed like him and the interviews of him where he said "Our next opponent is a tough team" (even though the opposing team of the week was like a 2-5 team with wins only against cupcakes). Big deal, a guy is winning, he's traditional, blah, blah, blah.

However, in between my junior and senior years of college, my knowledge and appreciation for Joe Paterno grew. On an assignment with a reporter for my newsroom internship, I got to see JoePa up close and personal and even shook the man's hand. He was at a media event in Hershey, Pennsylvania and having never seen him up close in person, I came to realize he's a normal guy who truly cared for people and not just the wins and losses of his football team. He took a moment to shake everyone's hand that approached him and especially took time to talk to the youngsters that flocked to see the legend in person. What a cool guy I thought to myself.

Fast forward to the near past and present... Everyone who knows college football has seen him, knew who he was and the way he conducted business on and off the field. Then came the scandal. Now I'm not going to get into the grit and grime surrounding what happened and who was right and who was wrong, but this was the changing moment in the whole scenario, in my opinion. You know the story: accusations, discussion, dismissal, etc.

And two weeks after this story broke, he's diagnosed with lung cancer. Would have this story come out regardless if he still was the coach of the Nittany Lions? Who knows, but things didn't look good for the coach.

He was in and out of the news and from what I understand in and out of the hospital while another guy took the reigns of "his" team. I'm not saying JoePa resented that at all, but if it were me in the same position, I would be heartbroken.

Now, we know the fact that it was an aggressive form of cancer and that was the ultimate cause of his death. However, and I know this has been said by a few in the media and friends, but I think the man ultimately died of a broken heart. Everything he has lived for for the past 60+ years was gone and instead fighting his battles on the gridiron, he was in for the fight of his life. But when you life has been football, the Penn State community and the like, and after being dragged through the media coals like a low-class citizen, I imagine it got hard to take. And maybe that's a pessimistic way to view things, but having never been in for the fight of my life, I can only imagine what that must be like (perhaps a topic for another post at another time).

Regardless of my like of Michigan and sometimes hatred of Penn State (I never said the fans were nice to the opposition) my heart goes out to the Penn State community and I have been amazed by the pulling together of the Penn State campuses and college football in general. And the fact of the matter is, Penn State may and probably will never be the same. The show will go on and we all knew the day would come when JoePa and his rolled up pants wouldn't be on the sideline, but it is a shame it happened like the way it did. It's saddening and a loss for a football program, Penn State, Pennsylvania, the Big 10, the NCAA, but most of all, humanity.

It's not everyday you see someone pour their heart and soul into something as much as JoePa did. He was more than a coach. He was a second parent, a teacher, a leader, an icon, a legend and to those who knew him personally or not, a friend. Seeing him when he was down and out, you could still feel that he would be the type of guy that would give the shirt off his back for the student body, the university or anyone off the street. Penn State was more than football for him. He made sure his players as well as the rest of the student body got a good education and graduated. The first thing he said when the media and students came to his door in the heat of the scandal was "Go home, study and do well." He stood for tradition and values and didn't get caught in the whirlwind of today's society. That's an incredible feat in today's world. There are not many people like that.

There's no easy way to say it and it's still hard to believe that the fall of Paterno happened like it did, but perhaps the sports world should take a step back and be put on hold for a moment to remember the way that Joe Paterno changed the world of sports and the tradition and the way the games and matches compare to life.

My thoughts and prayers go to Penn State and the Paterno family and friends. Today, we all are...

Penn State.

Beaver Stadium, State College, PA -- A fresh snow fall on the home of the Penn State Nittany Lions, formerly coached by the late Joe Paterno. The house is empty without JoePa and in Penn State football tradition, it is a final "White Out" for the legendary coach. JoePa will be missed in the world of sports and for all that he has done for the Penn State community.

It's Conference Championship Time!

After the dust has settled from the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, four teams have emerged and will be playing for their conferences' spot in the Super Bowl.

The Divisional Round of the playoffs featured an upset, a back-and-forth game, a game that was closer than it should have been and a complete blowout.

Without going into great detail (mainly because I missed watching all four games this weekend due to my local CBS channel being stupid and not being near a TV for the games on Fox), here's a quick run down...

THE NFC
--- Oh how the mighty have fallen. The 15-1 number one seeded Packers fell to the Giants this weekend. Many prior to the game thought the Giants had a real shot playing the Packers and those, myself not included, were right to think so. Disappointment for Aaron Rodgers and crew, but it'll be nice to see someone different in the Super Bowl this year.

--- Along those lines, the 49ers beat the Saints in probably the best game of the weekend which paired the number two and three seeds out of the NFC. After looking like the Saints were going to pull out a victory, the Niners drove the field and scored a game-winning touchdown with a few seconds left. The Saints had five turnovers in the game, which ultimately did them in. The Niners advance and will host the G-men for the NFC Title game in what I am willing to bet will be a major defensive battle.

THE AFC
--- Tebow Time is over. Credit to the kid for getting the Broncos where they were this weekend, but Tom Brady was superman and buried the Broncos by dropping 45 points on them. Brady and the Patriot offense are looking to be in championship form, which does not bode well for anyone who plays the Patriots next.

--- Finally, we have the Ravens-Texans match-up. This game turned out to be closer than I expected (probably due to my favorite team bias). The Ravens D showed up when it mattered and stopped the Texans on what could have been a game-tying drive late in the forth quarter. The Ravens head to Gillette Stadium to face the Patriots in what could be a dogfight matching the Ravens dominating defense against Brady and company. The winner of this game will be the team that does not make the most mistakes.

That's all she wrote. Next week this time, the talk will be Super Bowl as the match-up will be decided. Here's the schedule of this weekend's games:

Sunday, January 22
Ravens @ Patriots - 3 p.m. ET CBS
Giants @ 49ers - 6:30 p.m. ET FOX

IT'S TEBOW TIME!

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the NFL Playoffs. The march to the the big game in Indianapolis began this Saturday with the Bengals playing the Texans, the Lions playing the Saints and continued on Sunday with the Falcons playing the Giants and the Steelers playing the Broncos.

This edition of a playoff weekend wrap up is brought to you by the number 15 and the letter "T". Why? Four words... Mr. Timothy Richard Tebow. Let's break it down...

Steelers/Broncos - The Broncos lead the Steelers 20-6 going into halftime. In typical Steeler fashion, the Steelers tied the game at 23-23 with about 2 minutes left in the game. When the Broncos were forced to punt their next possession and the Steelers couldn't get the 4th quarter magic drive done, the game was sent to overtime with the new playoff overtime rules that went into effect last season. The rules: if the first team that gets the ball scores a touchdown, the game is over... if the first defense scores a touchdown, the game is over... if the first team to get the ball scores a field goal, the defending team would receive a chance to have the ball. On the first play of overtime, Tebow throws a stripe to Demaryius Thomas who goes 80 yards to score the game-winning touchdown. Tebow Time resumes and the 8-8 Broncos knock off the defending AFC Champions. NEXT WEEK: The Broncos visit the Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Will Tebow Time continue or will the Patriots have a repeat performance of the Week 15 41-23 beatdown of the Broncos?

Bengals/Texans - I'll admit I missed this game this weekend so I don't have too much of a story to tell about the game. From what I gather, the Texans led 17-10 at the half and shutout the Bengals in the second half winning the game 31-10. I'll give credit where credit is due with Cincy quarterback Andy Dalton having a heck of a rookie season. This kid is going to be a star provided he doesn't have a sophomore slump. Kudos also for the Texans winning their first playoff appearance in franchise history. NEXT WEEK: The Texans head to AFC North Division Champion Baltimore Ravens. Will the Texans continue to ride a wave of momentum and challenge the Ravens or will this be another repeat performance of the Week 6 Ravens 29-14 victory?

Lions/Saints - The good news for Detroit? The Lions reversed several years of poor performances and made the playoffs. The bad news for Detroit? Drew Brees put up ridiculous numbers again as the Saints came from behind at halftime to cruise to a 45-28 victory. I will continue to say it now... Provided the Saints and Packers win next week, I believe the Saints may be the only team that could seriously end the dream of repeat Super Bowls for the Packers. Both teams are playing well, but the Saints are on fire. However, there's still a week before that potential showdown. NEXT WEEK: The Saints visit the 49ers and what should be an interesting battle. Will the Niners defense stifle Brees and Company or will Black and Gold continue to score at will?

Falcons/Giants - Poor poor performance for the Falcons. I seriously thought they would do better against the anything but consistent Giants team. The final score was 24-2 Giants. The Giants defense basically held Falcons QB Matt Ryan to 199 yards and no touchdowns and smothered the rushing attack holding Falcons starting running back Michael Turner to a measly 41 yards. Meanwhile on the other side of the ball Eli Manning continued his best NFL season tossing three touchdown passes as the Giants won their first playoff game since winning Super Bowl XLII. NEXT WEEK: The Giants visit the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. Will Eli continue his incredible run (where he doesn't have to be in big brother Peyton's shadow - Kudos Ang's Dad) or will Aaron Rodgers and Company continue their march to make it to the Super Bowl in back-to-back years?

That's the wrap up. For those that are interested, here's the schedule of next weekend's games:


Saturday, January 14
Saints @ 49ers - 4:30 p.m. ET Fox
Broncos @ Patriots - 8 p.m. ET CBS

Sunday, January 15
Texans @ Ravens - 1 p.m. ET CBS
Giants @ Packers - 4:30 p.m. ET FOX

Good News For Football Fans

Good news football fans!

Today the NFL redid it's television deal through the 2022 season. What this means is games will continue to be broadcast on "free television" - network stations like CBS, Fox and NBC - for the next 11 years.

I don't know about you, but if I had to pay to watch Saturday (that's right, we're at that point of the season where some games are now on Saturdays) and Sunday NFL games a la NFL Network Thursday games, I think my viewership of NFL would definitely decline. NFL is truly "America's Game" pulling in the largest ratings in 23 of the 25 top programming in the fall. Pulling the games from "free" or network television would not only pull the rug out from its fans, but ruin the network ratings for fall and early winter.

Now, while the networks will continue to broadcast Saturdays and Sundays, ESPN will have Monday Night Football through at least 2021 and the NFL Network will be expanding its Thursday coverage starting next year. Currently the NFL Network only broadcasts eight games in the second half of the season.

For the full report on the television contracts, you can read a story on ESPN.com here.

NFL Week 14 Comments

Browns/Steelers - The Steelers struggled in this game against the Browns. Really? Really?

Colts/Ravens - The Ravens continue their quest to win the division. They hold the tiebreaker over Pittsburgh and have one more game each with the Bengals and Browns. The Colts inch closer to quarterback controversy - Peyton in '12 vs. probable draft pick Andrew Luck.

Falcons/Panthers - The Falcons stay alive in a wild card race after the Saints clinched a playoff birth, but it was a comeback win. Panther problem - Cam Newton threw the ball nearly 40 times!

Texans/Bengals - The Texans continue their march with a last-minute victory over the Bengals. Bengal playoff hopes take a hit.

Vikings/Lions - The Lions prove they can win without DT Ndamukong Suh (knucklehead) and keep their playoff hopes alive with a win over the division foe Vikings. My question is what was Minnesota doing pulling their quarterback of the future Christian Ponder?

Buccaneers/Jaguars - The Bucs had a 14-point lead but couldn't hold on to the ball as they had seven turnovers. No wonder Maurice Jones-Drew set the Jaguars team record for scoring four touchdowns in a game.

Eagles/Dophins - Did anyone care about this game? The Eagles exploded for 24 points in the second quarter, but their second half scoring was only two points. It's sad that the Eagles still have a slim chance to make the playoffs.

Chiefs/Jets - The Jets hold on to a Wild Card spot in the playoffs for now and play no killer teams in the three remaining weeks. Running seems to be the key for the Jets as Sanchez didn't have to do too much throwing the ball just 21 times.

Saints/Titans - It wasn't a pretty win for the Saints, but a win is a win and this win helped them clinch a playoff birth. The Titans loss helped the Texans claim the division title and leaves them on the outside looking in just short of a Wild Card spot.

Patriots/Redskins - Was the result of this game a surprise? Brady puts up monster stats. The Patriots are close to winning the division. Another ho-hum game.

49ers/Cardinals - What happened here? The 49ers drop a game and now are tied for the second seed in the NFC with the Saints. Things have to get hard next week before closing easily for the Niners with a game against the Steelers this week.

Bears/Broncos Tebows - The Bears should be ashamed of themselves and failed to stop Tebowmania. Winning 10-0 in the fourth quarter, the Bears choke and let the world go crazy over Tebow for another week. Ilch. As it stands now, the Tebows are leading their division and the Bears are not in the playoffs hoping for Cutler to come back soon.

Raiders/Packers - 13-0. Packers continue to roll and when I caught the fourth quarter, they already had their subs in. I said before that Carson Palmer is overrated. A little stat data, four interceptions for Palmer in this game bringing his seven-game season total to 13 - one shy of the number of touchdowns he's thrown. Disgraceful.

Bills/Chargers - Good night Buffalo. After starting with promise, your season is over as you are eliminated from playoff contention. The Chargers are still in the hunt for a playoff spot at 6-7, but they'll need a lot of help to get there. How the tide has changed in the AFC Wild West.

Giants/Cowboys - Super Eli to the rescue. The Giants QB lead two touchdown drives in the final three minutes of the game to take control of the NFC East. The way the Giants and Cowboys schedules look going forth could mean the Week 17 rematch in the Meadowlands could determine the division winner.

Rams/Seahawks - Will anyone watch this game? I suppose the Seahawks are still barely in the playoff hunt, but at 5-7 they would need so many things to happen to make it. Should be a Hawks win cause the Rams are on their third-string QB, but Seattle has been less that stellar at winning home games this year with a 3-3 record at CenturyLink.